15 August 2006
Paredes De Coura Festival, Portugal

How Soon Is Now?
First Of The Gang To Die
You Have Killed Me
The Youngest Was The Most Loved
Let Me Kiss You
Girlfriend In A Coma
In The Future When All's Well
Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice
I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
Life Is A Pigsty
We'll Let You Know
I Will See You In Far Off Places
If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me
Irish Blood, English Heart
At Last I Am Born
I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
Panic
This gig started on a good note, Morrissey was in a very good mood at first, and very talkative. However somewhere before the end, this changed (read further). Some people blamed the crowd's lack of enthusiasm, others the rain and others technical difficulties. Everyone could be right as Morrissey commented on all of those things at different points into the audience. The crowd was typical of festivals, it included fans as well as non-fans who were waiting for the next act on the bill. As for the rain, Morrissey actually seemed amused by it.

The Smiths-era classic "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" replaced "Still Ill" in the setlist. The just introduced "Now My Heart Is Full" was not played.

Entering stage, after getting in a line with his musicians for the traditional bow, Morrissey greeted the audience "Paredes de Coura, (something in Portuguese)". After a very lively "First Of The Gang To Die" he acknowledged the fact that the concert was being recorded for future broadcast: "So you are listening to a live broadcast - or not - as the case may be". He was very playful in "You Have Killed Me". He sang "Pasolini is me... obviously, Accatone you will be (rolls tongue)", "I entered nothing, obviously nothing entered me til you came with the key ouch! you did your best but...". He changed the very last words of the song to something undecipherable.

Before going into "The Youngest Was The Most Loved" Morrissey commented "You knew it would rain, you knew it would rain... beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... hello, hello, hello..." After the song he added "Thank you for standing, thank you for standing in the rain, thank you for waiting for so long... very appreciated... even though I can't hear what I'm saying, but hopefully somebody can..." He then turned to someone who was shouting to him and replied "What? Me!?" Shortly thereafter "Girlfriend In A Coma" was introduced with "Now there is such a thing in life as the sluice of time... that's where I live, and that's where this song comes from... Ah one, ah two - forget it..."

Morrissey's microphone broke down and had to be replaced halfway into "In The Future When All's Well". Until this was done, he could only be heard for a few words here and there. After the song he commented on the lack of success of his most recent album in Portugal: "Now there was somebody in Portugal and I don't know who they are and I don't know what their name is, but they bought 'Ringleader Of The Tormentors' and I'm very grateful... anything helps!"

In "Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice" Morrissey followed the line "...and it can come from the strangest direction" with a roar of "Come on kid, you!" After the song he commented on the final line "No te divertes con Papi": "That song was called 'Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice' and some people think at the end of the song I attempt to sing Spanish but this is not true... I attempt to sing my own language which very few people know about, but Julia knows... Julia? Eh! Julia?" He then immediately asked the audience "So are you bored stiff? Yeahhhssss!" After "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" he commented "I realise you did very well in the World Cup... However, you didn't do that well, you didn't win... (crowd boos) Well don't boo me I wasn't on the pitch!" He then imitated the crowd's complaints by making a nagging sound.

It started raining harder for "Life Is A Pigsty" and it gave that song's performance a special backdrop. After the song Morrissey said "So if you're listening to this broadcast in the safety and the warmth of your own home, you're very wise (clears throat)... so life is a pigsty... yes, (giggles) I'm afraid so! Just you wait!" In "We'll Let You Know" he extended a line by singing "You wonder how I've stayed alive til now... I don't know!". Further down, between two lines, he funnily said "Thank you music lovers..." which made him sound like a crooner from the 1960s.

After that wonderful updated version of "We'll Let You Know" came Morrissey's customary band introduction: "For those of you who care enough to find out, here is Boz Boorer... and there is Gary Day... and yah-ah-ah-ah is Matt Walker... and oh-oh-oh-oh Jesse Tobias... and la-la-la-la Michael Farrell... I have no name, no identity, nothing. Nothing, nothing." Halfway into b-side "If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me", seeing the audience's lack of interest, he asked "Does anybody know this song? Not very good is it?" After the song he said "Well thanks for being so gracious... That song was called 'If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me'... your choice!"

In "At Last I Am Born", Morrissey extended a line to "I am finally born, I think!" and another one to "At last I am born, I admit!". More interestingly he changed another one to "Look at me now from fat little child, to spectral hand..." After the song he said "I thought you were gonna give me a very valuable gift, but no... but you already have... you already have... you already have..." Before going into set closer "Panic" he announced "Always remember, the way out is the way in... goodbye!" A few verses into the song he just said "God bless you!" and left the stage, leaving the band looking slightly startled and wondering what to do. They improvised an ending and followed Morrissey off stage.

The full set was broadcast on Antena 3, Portugal's national radio. It was also webcast in audio form on the station's webpage. These lack the intro to "First Of The Gang To Die".

 


The radio recording mentioned above is circulated on bootlegs, particularly on the internet. The sound quality is obviously quite good, but perhaps not quite as good as radio recordings can be. Some versions include DJ interventions while others have those bits edited out.

The audio webcast is also circulated, but it sounds inferior to the radio recording. An audience recording has been spotted, but it is not shared yet, probably because the availability of a better sounding radio bootleg makes it useless.

 

Do you have information about this concert? Or do you own an uncirculated recording of it? If yes please contribute and get credited.